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Future transfer strategy

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There are some interesting comments from Garry Cook that have been picked up in or two areas of the press the past day concerning the future transfer strategy:
"That is absolutely (a model to aspire to) because, financially, it’s a better model than one where you get into negotiating a market price that has no pre-determining factors other than supply and demand.

"That’s a model I don’t subscribe to and one I don’t want to be beholden to. I would rather control or manage our destiny over the long-term.

"What we are clear on is that we don’t think there will be another couple of windows like we have just been through. And I think you’re going to see Manchester City really ramp up its activity in the youth area, in the development area of players.

"There’s often opinion that we are just going to keep buying players, but that’s actually the antithesis of what we’re trying to do."

It is no secret that the focus on scouting and the Academy on a more worldwide scale has been ramped up over the past year - notably with Jim Cassell taking on his new role as 'overseer' - and it is a strategy that makes sense in the long term.

Cook I believe has spoken previously on this issue, but more in line with defending the high transfer fees and wages that have been outlayed so far, a move that is not necessarily sustainable if you are trying to balance the books but important given our starting position and the need to elevate the club into being a perennial Champions League contender where the income and revenue streams generated naturally increase as a result.

Once you are at that level where you are competing at the very top, the need to add the best part of half a dozen players during a transfer window is no longer there and you operate more along the lines of adding just one 'ready made' players during the summer along with younger, more long term 'projects' that can be developed over time.

This though is still some time away of course. There is talk of the January window in particular being a quiet one - and history shows there are not many big moves during this month - should we be in or on the fringes of the Champions League qualification places, with a very real shot at the top four then I can see Cook pulling the trigger on a couple of big moves to provide that extra impetus over the remainder of the season.